Editor's Note

The Charge

The scariest comedy of all time!

Opening Statement

"For what we are about to see next, we must quietly enter into the realm
of genius."

Facts of the Case

It's been several decades since the notorious Dr. Victor Frankenstein caused
all of that chaos. You know what I'm talking about. The dead coming back to
life, bolts in the head, dead children, torches and pitchforks…all that
business. The whole affair made Dr. Frankenstein pretty unpopular with the
general public, tarnishing the family name. Frankenstein's grandson, Dr.
Frederick Frankenstein (that's pronounced Fronk-en-steen), is now beginning to
receive acclaim for his medical research. Frederick (Gene Wilder, Blazing Saddles) doesn't want to
follow in the footsteps of his crazy grandfather, but it seems as if he is about
to do exactly that. He travels to Transylvania, meets up with Igor (grandson of
the original, and that's pronounced Eye-gore), and takes up residence in his
grandfather's laboratory. While attempting to learn more about his family
history, Frederick discovers just how close his grandfather was to perfecting
the process of raising the dead. Suddenly, Frederick understands his destiny. He
will finish what his grandfather started, and in doing so, create yet another
terrifying monster (Peter Boyle, Everybody Loves Raymond).

The Evidence

When it comes to comedy, bigger is not always better. Massive special effects
and lavish sets frequently tend to kill simple jokes. Look at Steven Spielberg's
1941, in which perfectly amusing gags were suffocated by the sheer size
of the spectacle. It's surprisingly difficult to create a film that is both
hilarious and awe-inspiring, but that's precisely what Mel Brooks accomplished
when he made Young Frankenstein. The sets here are every bit as
spectacular as those seen in the two original Frankenstein films directed by
James Whale. A selection of well-chosen still frames from the film could easily
convince someone that Young Frankenstein was nothing short of being the
definitive adaptation of Mary Shelley's much-adapted story.

Remarkably, Brooks managed to create a perfect marriage between vintage
visual splendor and his usual goofball humor. Young Frankenstein is
widely regarded as one of Brooks' funniest film, and for good reason. There are
dozens of laugh-out-loud scenes here, from the "roll in the hay" bit
to the side-splitting scene with the old blind man (Gene Hackman, Crimson Tide) to the show-stopping
dance number. Even so, the pacing of the humor here is a bit different than
usual. Brooks sets aside his "everything but the kitchen sink"
approach to comedy and offers laughs that are more carefully moderated. The
jokes aren't fired off at rapid speed, but rather worked organically into Mary
Shelley's source material. There are fewer gags here than in, say, History of
the World, Part 1, but more of the jokes stick.

The story and screenplay were co-written by star Gene Wilder, whose unique
style of humor was perfectly suited for this particular tale. Wilder's
impeccable comic timing and suppressed eccentricity make Dr. Frederick
Frankenstein a delightful character. When working with the right material,
Wilder could reach levels of giddy comic perfection. His turn here is
undoubtedly one of his finest performances. Even so, Young Frankenstein
certainly isn't a one-man show. There are also delightful supporting turns from
Cloris Leachman (Spanglish), Madeline Kahn
(Blazing Saddles), Peter Boyle,
Gene Hackman, Marty Feldman (Silent
Movie), and Teri Garr (Close
Encounters of the Third Kind). Each actor is given ample opportunity to
shine in the spotlight, and everyone manages to deliver some hearty laughs.

Even though Blu-ray has been the winner of the hi-def format war for a while
now, we still don't have too many black-and-white films available on Blu-ray. I
was really hoping for a knockout transfer here, and I must admit, my initial
reaction was one of disappointment. There are flecks, specks, and scratches all
over the place, along with quite a lot of grain. Even so, these flaws aren't
quite as detrimental to this particular film as they might be for another film
the same age. Considering the 1930s cinematic vibe here, the flaws seem almost
appropriate in an atmospheric way. I'm not saying that I wouldn't prefer a crisp
and clean image, but I'm okay with what we get. The aforementioned issues aside,
the image is reasonably well balanced and effective. Additionally, the DNR level
is pretty low. Don't expect too much from the DTS HD audio, which is just fine
but hardly jaw-dropping. While all of the original elements are pretty
well-distributed, you won't hear anything remarkable here. The 5.1 audio is
nothing more than a modestly effective new mix. The original mono track is also
included, as is an isolated score track spotlighting composer John Morris' fine
work.

Fox has really stepped up to the plate in terms of supplements, delivering
all of the supplements from the previous DVD release in addition to a collection
of new extras. Let's start with the old stuff. Mel Brooks turns in an audio
commentary. It's worth a listen, but Brooks has a tendency to lose track and
ramble a bit from time to time. Interesting, if a bit disorganized. You might be
better off checking out "Making Frankensense of Young Frankenstein"
(42 minutes), a solid making-of documentary featuring interviews with the cast
and crew. We also get some deleted scenes, a gag reel, brief archival interviews
with Gene Wild, Cloris Leachman, and Marty Feldman, a production gallery, and
some marketing materials. This would be pretty solid batch of stuff on it's own,
but thankfully this disc has some exclusives to offer.

First up, you get an "Inside the Lab Bonusview Track," which
offers some picture-in-picture featurettes as you watch the film. If your
Blu-ray player isn't PiP-enabled, then you can watch all 11 featurettes by
themselves (about 30 minutes combined) by clicking the "Inside the
Lab" feature. "It's Alive: Creating a Monster Classic" (30
minutes) is yet another making-of documentary. It covers some similar material,
but is still engaging stuff. "Transylvanian Lullaby" (11 minutes) is a
cool look at composer John Morris' excellent score, and you get yet another 25
minutes of previously unreleased deleted scenes. The remainder of the features
are a waste of time: a bland trivia track and a "Blucher Button" which
makes a horse neighing sound when you press it. Even so, this is a very
impressive supplemental package, making it much easier for this reviewer to
recommend an upgrade.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

There's not much to complain about when it comes to Young
Frankenstein, but I do have one minor objection. Much as I love Mel Brooks,
he does have a tendency to run a perfectly good joke into the ground. There are
several gags presented here that are quite funny the first time, but they get a
bit old after their fourteenth appearance. Isn't that right, Dr.
Fronk-en-steen?

Closing Statement

One of the great comedies of the 1970s gets a decent transfer and a very
impressive batch of special features. You won't be too excited if A/V quality is
the only thing you care about, but otherwise this disc is very much worth an
upgrade.